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First thoughts on seeing dummy 

1. Have I remembered to say 'Thank you partner'. While this is partly a courtesy, your partner has in reality given you something ie the thirteen cards that constitute dummy, and that deserves an acknowledgement. Additionally, a 'thank you' said with feeling often has two repercussions.

• It cements the partnership, making dummy think she has helped you to the right contract.
• It lulls the defenders into a sense of lethargy--it sounds as if you've got this contract buttoned up--just the climate for slipping a trick through the covers.

It goes without saying that if  instead of 'thank you', you offer 'This is a fine mess you've got me in partner', this can be regarded as an unhelpful contribution to partnership harmony.

2. Don't think of another contract you should be in, otherwise you will find yourself playing in it, to your cost ! Recriminations about the auction should come later, if at all.

3. Remember NOT to take your certain winners at once, otherwise the defenders will gratefully cash the winners you will have set up for them. See this page.

4. Identify the suits where there is 'work to be done', such as establishing near-high cards, finessing, ruffing in dummy etc etc. These are the tasks that must be tackled first.

5. Ask yourself if you can afford to draw trumps immediately or if there are moves you need to make first. See this page. Reconcile this consideration with item (4) above.

6. Question whether it will pay you to count winners and/or losers to see how secure this contract is and to judge where any extra tricks needed are coming from. See this page. I don't put as much emphasis on this aspect of play as many authors do. The arithmetic is rarely simple since there are so many unknowns in the play, and the answer tends only to be conclusive in high level contracts-games or slams.

7. Remind yourself if the opposition were bidding or not, and draw inferences from this as to the likely location of the missing high cards. Remember this during the play !

8. Ask yourself what the opening lead implies.

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